Hikozaru & Lizardon: Giving Knowledge of Life
by MonkeyJb1988
Summary: A story set in the anime universe, where Hikozaru Chimchar gets into trouble and meets with Lizardon Charizard . Offers a different perspective of Lizardon's disobedience. There is a handy translaton guide as I use the Japanese names for everyone.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Hikozaru, use Flame Wheel!" yelled Satoshi.

The little fire monkey Pokémon obeyed and unleashed its Flame Wheel on the Metagross. _That Metagross never had a chance_, thought Hikozaru as the trainer recalled his fainted Pokémon.

Satoshi, Hikari, Takeshi, Pikachu, and Pochama were traveling towards Fire Mountain, home of many fire Pokémon, and were going through a forest clearing when Takumi, a trainer heading to Kissaki City, saw Satoshi and challenged him to a battle. Of course he said yes, thought a bemused Hikari. Satoshi never has a problem with showing off, she thought as she stood on the side with Takeshi, who was refereeing the match, and Pochama.

The battle was in Satoshi's favor, with him defeating Takumi's Laplace and Bipper easily with Naetle, but Takumi's Metagross put up a tough battle and defeated Naetle, which led to Satoshi calling out Hikozaru, which led to a rather quick victory for Satoshi. However Takumi had one Pokémon up his sleeve.

"Lucario, I choose you" yelled Takumi as he threw his last Monster Ball.

In a flash of light, a tall, blue, bipedal Pokémon stood in front of Hikozaru, ready for a battle. Hikozaru wasn't intimidated.

"Lucario, use Metal Claw" yelled Takumi.

"Hikozaru, use Blaze Emission" yelled Satoshi.

The two Pokémon jumped and used their attacks, but Hikozaru dodged Lucario's attack. When Lucario went to the ground, it was a little…toasty. However, it wasn't down yet. Takumi decided to pull out all the stops.

"Lucario, use Pulse Bomb" yelled Takumi.

Satoshi was suddenly worried. He knew how powerful Pulse Bomb can be. He quickly thought of Hikozaru's most powerful move.

"Hikozaru, use Swirl of Fire" yelled Satoshi.

Hikozaru obeyed. The two attacks hit each other and soon, the battle became a shoving match, with each combatant trying to force each of their attacks pass the other's attack. It went on for several seconds until, in a burst of power, Hikozaru sent its fire and Lucario's Pulse Bomb into Lucario. If someone were to ask Hikozaru what happened, it would put it simply as:

_He went down like a ton of bricks_.

That was the thoughts of everyone at the battle as Takumi returned his battered Lucario to its Monster Ball. He then went to congratulate Satoshi.

"That was a good battle. Your Pokémon are really strong" said an impressed, if not more humble, Takumi.

"Hey, you weren't bad either" said Satoshi.

"Do you think I can meet your Hikozaru? I never saw one before and it seems really cool" asked Takumi.

"Sure" said a blushing Satoshi (Hikari and Takeshi stifled giggles at Satoshi's growing head) "Hikozaru, come over here".

To his surprise, Hikozaru didn't come. Assuming Hikozaru just didn't hear him, Satoshi called him over again. However, Hikozaru just looked over and looked back with his nose up in the air.

"Hikozaru, don't be rude. Come over here" said a slightly angry Satoshi.

Hikozaru jumped on the trees and proceeded to swing around. Satoshi was starting to lose his patience.

"I'm very sorry, it usually very obedient. I don't know what's wrong" an embarrassed Satoshi told Takumi. Satoshi then went after Hikozaru.

"I don't know what's wrong. Hikozaru usually doesn't act like this" said Takeshi. He, Hikari, Pikachu, and Pochama went over to Takumi. Just as they were going to talk (well, as best as Pikachu and Pochama can), they all heard:

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Everyone jumped at the noise. There was no question that it was Satoshi's scream. Pikachu ran to Satoshi while the others stood there in shock. They were about to follow Pikachu when Satoshi came out with Pikachu. Satoshi looked like he was cooked over an open fire. In his hand was a Monster Ball. He went over to Takumi and his friends.

"Wouldn't you rather see my Buoysel? My Hikozaru…um…well…wouldn't you rather see my Buoysel?" asked Satoshi.

It was obvious to the three other trainers and two Pokémon why Satoshi was roasted.

"That's okay, maybe another time" said a nervous Takumi.

They traveled together until they got to the road where they had to go different ways. Before Takumi left the group, he turned back to the group.

"Satoshi, may I talk to you alone for a second?" Takumi asked.

"Whatever you have to say, you can say it with my friends here" Satoshi said, still angry about Hikozaru and shocked that Takumi didn't seem to trust his friends.

"I know this isn't any of my business, but I think you may want to train your Hikozaru better. Do you know how dangerous and embarrassing an unruly Pokémon can be?" asked Takumi.

"Yeah, I have an idea" said an embarrassed Satoshi.

And with that, they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

Satoshi began pondering Takumi's words about unruly Pokémon and his previous experiences with an unruly Pokémon.

Takeshi and Pikachu had a good idea what was going through their friend's head. Hikari and Pochama had no idea what Satoshi was talking about. They never saw any of his Pokémon disobey him before today.

However, all four knew this: they knew that it would be best not to say anything to Satoshi about it. At least, not yet.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

That night, the group set up camp and ate dinner. Well, not the entire group. Satoshi was just picking at his meal. He hadn't said anything since his talk with Takumi. This worried Hikari, Takeshi, Pikachu, and Pochama. Satoshi was usually always hungry, almost like a human Kabigon and was usually very talkative during dinner.

"So, uh, Takeshi, how much farther is Fire Mountian" asked a nervous Hikari.

"Uh, we should get there by around noon tomorrow" answered an equally nervous Takeshi.

It was obvious to Pikachu and Pochama that they were trying to make small talk to try to take Satoshi's mind off Hikozaru's behavior. Unfortunately, Satoshi wasn't fooled. The two Pokémon decided now was a good time to go for a walk and left the humans to talk.

"So what kind of fire Pokémon do you think we'll see" asked Hikari, still trying to help Satoshi. Takeshi was about to answer when Satoshi finally talked.

"Guys, I know what you're trying to do, and I appreciate it, but stop, okay" said a bitter Satoshi.

"Uh, what are you talking about?" asked a "puzzled" Hikari.

"Yeah, me and Hikari were just…" began Takeshi.

"Guys, you are the worst actors ever" said an irate Satoshi.

Both Takeshi and Hikari were taken aback by Satoshi's tone. Hikari's eyes were starting to well up. Seeing the effect his tone had on his friends, Satoshi decided to fix his mistake.

"I'm sorry guys. I just don't want to talk right now. I'm too angry" said Satoshi. "I'm just thinking about preventing Hikozaru from being disobedient like Lizardon"

"Is that what you meant when you told Takumi you knew what it was like to have an unruly Pokémon?" asked Hikari (she decided now was as good a time to ask).

"You don't know about Lizardon" asked Takeshi.

"No. Who do you think I am, Haruka?" asked Hikari.

"I don't think we told Haruka that much about Lizardon either" said Satoshi. "We were traveling with Kasumi then".

"You mean your Hanada Gym Leader friend" asked Hikari.

"Mm" nodded the two boys.

"So what about Lizardon?" Hikari asked.

At that, Satoshi and Takeshi, mostly Takeshi, told Hikari about all about Lizardon. About how they found it as a Hitokage, near death due to the negligence of its previous trainer. About how it became one of Satoshi's most loyal Pokémon. About how, after a battle with a bunch of stampeding Nassy, it evolved into Lizardo and became more of an enemy than Rocket-Dan. About how it only got worse when it became a Lizardon and how it loved to roast Satoshi on a regular basis. About how it only took a near death experience for Lizardon and Satoshi's care for it that Lizardon became loyal to him again and what could've been a joyous time for Satoshi became emotional when Lizardon left him to train at the Lizafic Valley.

After that, Hikari finally understood Satoshi's sadness: his time when Lizardon was his worse time as a trainer. She understood how Satoshi felt like a failure as a trainer and how Satoshi had hoped to never go through that time again.

"I'm sorry Satoshi" said Hikari. "I…I didn't know".

"Well, now you know why I'm worried" said a bitter Satoshi. "I don't want Hikozaru to be like Lizardon. I don't think I can deal with that again". At that, Satoshi's eyes began to tear up.

"Satoshi, you know we'll help you however we can" said a caring Takeshi. Hikari nodded in agreement.

"That was one of the things I always felt guilty about, having you guys get involved in my problem" said Satoshi told Takeshi, wiping his eyes. "I don't want to get you involved again. Plus, it was bad enough I got you, Kasumi, and Kenji involved. You guys knew what you were doing. Hikari can't help deal with an unruly Pokémon".

Hikari was about to protest when she realized he was right. She can't train to be a coordinator when she has to deal with a Pokémon that could attack her or her own Pokémon without warning. There are some days when she can't even do the former.

Satoshi just sat and looked at his food, with no intention of eating, talking, or being cheered up. All that Hikari and Takeshi could do was to leave him alone.

They were so into their talk that Satoshi, Hikari, and Takeshi didn't notice that Hikozaru's Monster Ball was taken by a one foot, four inch, furry Pokémon and its blue Pokémon accomplice. They ran into the night with the Monster Ball, until they made it to a spot a ways away from the campsite. They then released Hikozaru from its Monster Ball. Hikozaru was not happy about being bothered.

"Do you want another roasting, Satoshi?" said an angry Hikozaru as it turned and looked upwards. It was surprised, however when it saw that Satoshi wasn't there. It looked around, but didn't see Satoshi anywhere.

"You're not going to find us up there" said a voice.

"Height isn't our big suit" said another voice.

Hikozaru turned to the sound of the voices. He knew those voices very well and, sure enough, it was right.

The two Pokémon that stole Hikozaru's Monster Ball were…Pikachu and Pochama.

Hikozaru wasn't happy. It was upset and it wasn't sure talking to Pikachu and Pochama would help right now. It knew Pikachu in particular would be angry and might not want to listen to its reason for attacking Satoshi. They didn't look particularly happy and when they spoke, Hikozaru knew it was never going to hear the end of it.

"JUST WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING" yelled Pikachu. Its cheeks were sparking. Hikozaru tensed up, ready in case Pikachu decided to give its own brand of retribution. It forgot Pikachu was an experienced battler.

"DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO ATTACK ME! AFTER WHAT YOU DID, YOU'RE LUCKY I DON'T…"

Just what Hikozaru was lucky Pikachu didn't do to it, it never found out, as Pochama calmed Pikachu down. As Pikachu was calming down, Pochama looked over to Hikozaru.

"Why did you attack Satoshi?" asked a concerned Pochama. "He's your trainer and your friend".

"Because I'm tired of being told what to do" said an angry Hikozaru. "I'm so much more powerful than him, yet I continue to listen to him. What does he know about being powerful and defeating opponents?"

"He trained you though" said a surprised Pochama. "Wouldn't that give him some sort of an idea?"

"He just made it quicker" said an angry Hikozaru. "I could've done it without him or anyone".

"Take a look at that, Pochama" said Pikachu. "That's gratitude for you" said Pikachu sarcastically.

Pikachu had calmed down, but that isn't saying much as it was close to attacking Hikozaru just earlier.

"How can you just throw away everything Satoshi did for you?" Pikachu asked.

"Because I've outgrown him" said Hikozaru, growing more angry and impatient with both of the two Pokémon. "I don't need to listen to him. I don't need any human. They're all…".

Like how Hikozaru will never know what Pikachu wanted to do to it, Pikachu never found out what humans were, as Pochama returned Hikozaru into its Monster Ball. A Pokémon can get out if it wanted, but Hikozaru decided it didn't want to talk with Pikachu and Pochama anymore and stayed in its ball.

"Sorry Pikachu" said Pochama. "I was starting to get worried that Hikozaru…" Pochama paused, wondering if it should continue with its train of thought "or you may have done something drastic".

Pochama looked over to Pikachu and was surprised to see that Pikachu wasn't in a near homicidal state. It looked worried and contemplative. Pochama gingerly went over to Pikachu.

"Pikachu, what's wrong" asked Pochama.

"Those words Hikozaru said" said Pikachu. "They were exactly what Lizardon said before it started disobeying Satoshi".

"Is that what Satoshi meant when he said he knew what it was like to deal with a disobedient Pokémon?" asked Pochama.

Pikcahu realized that Pochama had never met Lizardon. It told Pochama all about Lizardon. It told Pochama basically what Satoshi and Takeshi had told Hikari, including details Satoshi never knew about, like how Hitokage was feeling that humans were beneath it before it evolved and turned on Satoshi. Like Hikari, Pochama realized how terrible dealing with Lizardon was for Satoshi.

"How did Satoshi continue on like that?" asked Pochama.

"His other Pokémon and I went the extra mile to compensate for Lizardon" Pikachu said, with a touch of hurt.

Pochama looked and saw Pikachu looked upset.

"We always believed that we would be like the three musketeers…only with five" said Pikachu. "After Lizardon stopped listening to Satoshi, we felt betrayed. Satoshi was our friend. He would do anything for us and we would do anything for him. It would hurt us when Lizardon turned on Satoshi".

Pikachu stopped to wipe a tear from his eye. Pochama worked up the courage to ask a question that had been bothering it.

"Do you think Hikozaru could end up like Lizardon" asked a concerned Pochama.

"I don't doubt it" said Pikachu. "And it can be worse, seeing what Hikozaru is doing now".

For an hour or two, Pikachu and Pochama just sat. Pikachu sat and contemplated what Hikozaru's behavior would mean for everyone while Pochama sat next to him and comforted Pikachu with one wing, holding Hikozaru's Monster Ball. They then walked back to the camp, where they saw that Satoshi had discovered Hikozaru's missing Monster Ball and he, Hikari, and Takeshi were looking for it. Not wanting questions asked just now, Pochama bowled the Monster Ball when they weren't looking. Satoshi noticed it when he looked down again and assumed he had just dropped it. When the two Pokémon were sure that the humans didn't suspect anything, they walked back as if nothing happened.

As they all settled down to sleep, they were all worried about how Hikozaru may turn out, all of them now knowing about Lizardon. They couldn't sleep, from a mix of fear and excitement at seeing Fire Mountain. Little did they know, Fire Mountain will help settle both their fear and excitement.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As Takeshi had predicted, despite just babbling when he said it (he was more concerned with sharing up Satoshi at the time), the group made it to Fire Mountain by noon. The sight of the mountain made them all forget for the moment about Hikozaru.

Fire Mountain was impressive. It has been said that the mountain looked something like a Fire perch on a post, wings spread out. On that mountain, one could see a bunch of red, yellow, and orange spots on the mountain; the fire Pokémon that made the mountain their home. All the three humans and two Pokémon could do was to look in awe, with their mouths (or beaks) gaping.

"Look at this" Hikari finally said. "I can't wait to explore the mountain and see all the Pokémon".

The others agreed with her. As they got closer to the Mountain, they became more in awe at the size of the mountain and began to make out some of the Pokémon there. They saw some Gardie and Windie. There were a ton of Boober, Magmag, and more than a few Rokon. There had to be at least ten of every fire Pokémon on that mountain

"Satoshi, can you believe it?' asked Takeshi. He and Hikari looked over to their friend, whose focus seemed to be on a specific group of Pokémon. They went to him to see what he was looking at…and groaned silently.

Satoshi was looking at a group of Hikozaru, younger than Satoshi's, all playing around. A few of them saw the trainers and goofed around for them.

Takeshi, Hikari, and Pochama looked at Satoshi and saw that he had the same bitter look on his face he had the previous night. Pikachu noticed as well. Hikari prodded Satoshi a little and he left the group of monkey Pokémon, but his four friends noticed that Satoshi lost his enthusiasm for Fire Mountain. His friends wanted to cheer him up, but they know he won't fall for fake small talk. For a while, they walk towards the mountain, Satoshi wondering how to deal with Hikozaru while Hikari, Takeshi, Pikachu, and Pochama wondered how to make Satoshi feel better.

They were so deep in thought that Pochama, the only one to notice the group of flying Pokémon far above them, only noticed them by accident. When it did, it pointed up and alerted the others. They all looked up and saw that the group of fire Pokémon were Lizardon. Satoshi wasn't too impressed, but when he squinted to get a better look, he noticed a human was on a Lizardon, and that that particular Lizardon was wearing a pink bow. _That human looks very familiar,_ thought Satoshi. He squinted even more and realized who that person was…it was Jiku, the caretaker of the Lizafic Valley._ That_ _must mean the pink bowed Lizardon is Lisa_, thought Satoshi. He looked to Takeshi. Takeshi looked at Satoshi and, as if he knew what Satoshi was thinking, nodded in agreement: That was Jiku and Lisa. _If those two are here, and they have a ton of Lizardon with them,_ thought Satoshi,_ then one of them must be_…

Satoshi ran ahead several feet. He surprised Hikari, Pochama, and Pikachu, who was thinking what Satoshi and Takeshi were thinking, but was not ready for Satoshi running and could barely hold on. Satoshi yelled:

"Lizardon"

One of the Lizardon moved its head, but none of them seemed to notice. Satoshi was crest fallen. _One of them has to be_…thought Satoshi. He tried again.

"LIZARDON"

The Lizardon who moved its head earlier turned its head to Satoshi's direction. It knew it heard something and, somehow, it sounded familiar. When it saw Satoshi and his friends, it stopped, almost causing other Lizardon behind it to crash into it. The Lizardon then flew a little closer to the humans to get a better look. _Could it be_…thought the Lizardon. It got a better look…and nearly fell from the sky in surprise and happiness. It flew quickly towards Satoshi.

"SATOSHI" yelled Lizardon

Hikari was in fear when she saw the big Pokémon coming towards them. Pochama was too, until it heard the Lizardon yell Satoshi's name._ Have Satoshi and this Lizardon met before?_, thought Pochama. It looked to Pikachu, who nodded in excitement. Pochama then understood: This Lizardon is Satoshi's Lizardon.

Lizardon and Satoshi, with Pikachu on his head (still having a hard time holding on), flew and ran respectively to each other.

"Lizardon" yelled Satoshi excitedly.

"Satoshi" yelled Lizardon, just as excited as Satoshi.

They got closer to each other, so excited that neither of them realized what could happen if Lizardon were to hit Satoshi at the speed it was going at…well, at least not until after they got to each other.

Satoshi and Pikachu flew past Takeshi and nearly hit Hikari and Pochama, until they flew off a small cliff and landed in a crumpled heap a few feet below. Hikari, Takeshi, and Lizardon went over to the edge of the small cliff to see if Satoshi were okay.

"We're fine. We're just resting" Satoshi called to the others. Pikachu squeaked its agreement.

Takeshi, Hikari, Pochama, and Lizardon breathed a sigh of relief. Hikari even felt the need for a little humor.

"You know, he (Satoshi) does look like that in morning" said Hikari. They all sniggered…except for Satoshi.

"Shut up Hikari" yelled Satoshi.

Lizardon, feeling a little bad about laughing at Satoshi's misfortune, turned on Hikari.

"Yeah, shut up Hikari" said Lizardon.

Hikari, being human, had no idea what Lizardon said. Pochama, however, understood perfectly and gave Lizardon a Bubblebeam in the face.

Now, usually, water Pokémon are strong against fire Pokémon, but one has to consider this: Pochama is a young, not quite as experienced Pokémon who had its share of victories and defeats. Lizardon was a powerhouse who rarely lost since its evolution. It should then come as no surprise that, when Lizardon got revenge for Pochama's attack, Pochama, in the dirt next to Satoshi and Pikachu, more battered than either of them, made the mental note not to attack Lizardon again unless it attacked Hikari.

_Stupid overgrown firebug, _Pochama thought.

When Jiku, Lisa, and the other Lizardon landed to see where their friend was, they found it hugging a laughing Satoshi. Most of them instantly recognized him, Takeshi, and Pikachu as Lizardon's friends. Jiku went over to Satoshi to say hello.

"Satoshi, Takeshi, it's so good to see you again" said Jiku.

"Hey Jiku what are you doing he…" Satoshi began but, as usual, Takeshi began to woo Jiku. Jiku looked over to Hikari, hoping she would go for Takeshi's ear. Hikari only held back her laughter.

"So where's Kasumi?" asked a bemused, yet uncomfortable Jiku, hoping Kasumi was somewhere close.

At that exact moment, Takeshi stiffened and collapsed into a heap. Jiku then saw that Takeshi was Poison Jabbed by a Gureggru, who then dragged him away. When a confused Jiku looked up, she saw Satoshi laughing next to an equally confused Lizardon.

"Jiku, Lizardon, meet Kasumi" said Satoshi jokily, pointing to Gureggru. At that, Gureggru made a bow, did a little hop and summersault, then continued to drag Takeshi away. Jiku, Lizardon, and Lisa looked at each other and then at Satoshi.

"Did Kasumi die and reincarnate as that Gureggru?" asked Jiku.

"Valid question" said Satoshi jokingly. "But first, can you tell us why you're here?"

Jiku told them that the Lizardon loved coming to Fire Mountain and that she likes to take them here as a vacation once in a while. They loved to fly all over the mountain and surrounding valleys and to meet the resident Pokémon that lived there, including some Lizardon that Jiku has known for a while. All of them listened intently to Jiku's stories…except for Pikachu. It looked at Satoshi and Lizardon and marveled at how close they had become. _If Lizardon could talk to Hikozaru, it could maybe calm Hikozaru down_ thought Pikachu.

That was exactly what Pikachu had planned on doing ever since it realized Lizardon was here.

That night, Pikachu and Pochama stole Hikozaru's Monster Ball again and went looking for Lizardon. Pochama was a little reluctant after its first meeting with the flame Pokémon, but Pikachu promised that it wouldn't let Lizardon hurt it again. With that, they found Satoshi's old Lizardon, sleeping soundly. Pikachu tried waking it up, but Lizardon was as heavy a sleeper as it was a heavyweight.

"Why don't you try waking it up using your strengths" said Pochama.

It took a few seconds for Pikachu to realize what Pochama was saying. A small Electric Shock later, Lizardon was up. Lizardon looked around grumpily and saw the two small Pokémon.

"Pikachu, you should know better than to wake me up" said Lizardon.

"I know, Lizardon, but I need a favor to ask you" said Pikachu. "Can we walk?"

Lizardon got up slowly and walked with Pikachu and a worried Pochama to a spot away from the others. It was only then the Lizardon noticed Pochama was holding a Monster Ball.

"Hey, what's with the Monster Ball?" Lizardon asked. "You two planning on being Pokémon trainers or something?" it said with a chuckle.

"No, it's the reason we need your help" said Pikachu, unfazed by Lizardon's dry humor. "You see, Satoshi took in a Hikozaru from another trainer who didn't want it. It usually listened to Satoshi very well, but lately…"

"It was beginning to act like I did" Lizardon finished.

Pikachu and Pochama looked at Lizardon at disbelief. _It obviously been through this before_, thought Pochama. Lizardon breathed heavily and looked at the two again.

"Tell me about this trainer Satoshi got Hikozaru from" Lizardon said.

Pikachu and Pochama complied. They told Lizardon all about Shinji and how he didn't believe in being friends with his Pokémon, how he often trained them relentlessly and released them when he thought that they were weak. They mentioned how Shinji tried to have Hikozaru battle while injured before getting rid of it.

After they had finished, Lizardon just breathed then said:

"You guys did a good job describing Daisuke"

"He was your original trainer, the one Pikachu told me about?" asked Pochama.

"I don't know what Pikachu told you, but yes, he's the one" said Lizardon.

"You remember how Satoshi suffered trying to regain your trust, don't you?" asked Pikachu.

"In retrospect, yes" said Lizardon. "And you're hoping that by talking to Hikozaru, it'll realize how different Satoshi, and really, most humans are from Shinji, right?"

"Exactly" said Pikachu excitedly. "Can you do it?"

"No" answered Lizardon.

Pikachu and Pochama were aghast. _What the hell is its problem?_ They thought. Pochama, however, thought it out loud.

Lizardon turned to the penguin Pokémon. Pochama was ready for another beating by Lizardon. Instead, it got an answer.

"Evidently, Pikachu didn't tell you much" said Lizardon. "Otherwise, you would know that Pikachu and the other Pokémon tried talking to me about obeying Satoshi and how they failed every time to convince me".

Lizardon then turned to Pikachu.

"What makes you think you I can do any better than you?" Lizardon asked.

"Because you both have similar life experiences" said Pikachu. "You both had to deal with an uncaring trainer before meeting Satoshi. Plus it'll look up to you like a big brother. The fact that you could flick me like a bug was probably my weak point".

Lizardon just sat and breathed.

"Please, Lizardon" pleaded Pikachu. "You're probably Satoshi's last chance".

Lizardon thought about it for a while, and then finally said:

"Yes".

A delighted Pikachu and (less than thrilled) Pochama gave Lizardon the Monster Ball. Lizardon then flew away with it.

"I have a bad feeling your plan is going to fail" Pochama said.

"Why's that?" said a surprised Pikachu.

"Well, you're the most persuasive Pokémon I know" said Pochama.

"Don't worry, Lizardon won't fail" said Pikachu.

_I hope_ it thought.

Hikozaru was released again from its Monster Ball. Knowing it was too late for Satoshi to be battling someone, it knew it was Pikachu and Pochama again. It turned, expecting to see a little yellow rat and blue penguin Pokémon. Imagine its surprise when, instead, it saw a big, orange, lizard Pokémon.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Hikozaru nearly died from surprise and fright. _Who the heck is this thing?_ Thought a confused Hikozaru. It tensed up for a battle that it, personally, didn't think it could win, seeing that Rocket-Dan are nowhere around. However, the only thing the lizard Pokémon did was sit there. Finally, it said something.

"Easy, little pyro monkey" said the big Pokémon. "I just want to talk to about your relationship with Satoshi"

"How do you know about Satoshi?" asked a confused Hikozaru.

"Pikachu told me and asked me to talk to you" said the Pokémon.

Hikozaru was ready to kick Pikachu's butt. _That overbearing yellow rat just can't leave me well enough alone_. However, Hikozaru's anger at Pikachu was overcome with a question…

"And why did Pikachu asked you, out of all Pokémon, to talk to me"

"Apparently, Pikachu didn't tell you about me like it did for Pochama" said the big orange Pokémon.

This did nothing to answer Hikozaru's question.

"Who are you?" asked the smaller Pokémon.

The bigger Pokémon introduced itself as Satoshi's Lizardon. Knowing that, Hikozaru began to hate Pikachu again for interfering. It turned to leave.

"Well, Lizardon, I don't know what Pikachu was trying to achieve with you kidnapping me, but I'm going back to the camp and…

Lizardon never found out what Hikozaru planned to do when it got back to camp, although it was sure it may've had to do with a Blaze Emission aimed straight at Pikachu and, quite possibly, Satoshi, because it had to stop Hikozaru from falling off the cliff it had chosen to talk to Hikozaru at. When it pulled Hikozaru up, Hikozaru was just seconds away from attacking Lizardon.

"Why did you bring me here?" said an angry Hikozaru.

"Because I knew you wouldn't want to hear what I had to say" said Lizardon.

"And just how do you know what I was going to do?" Hikozaru nearly yelled, now as angry at this big Pokémon as it is at Satoshi and Pikachu.

"Because I know what you are going through" said Lizardon, as calm as Hikozaru was angry.

Hikozaru was taken aback by the calmness and sincerity of Lizardon's words. It was curious about Lizardon knowing what it was going through.

"Just give me a chance to talk to you, and I'll take you back and, if you want, you can roast Satoshi all you like" offered Lizardon.

Hikozaru decided it had nothing to lose by hearing Lizardon. Something inside Hikozaru told it that, maybe, it would be worth it to hear Lizardon out, although it was sure it wasn't going to Lizardon any good.

"So are you going to tell me that Satoshi is my friend and trainer, that he is the reason I'm so strong, and that I could be worse off?" asked a slightly impatient Hikozaru.

"Well…I was, but I guess Pikachu took care of that" said Lizardon. "I guess I can concentrate on why those facts are true".

Hikozaru just groaned. It felt bad Lizardon was going to waste its time for Satoshi.

"Hikozaru, I'm just trying to help you realize your mistake" said Lizardon. "Satoshi is not the enemy. Most humans are not the enemies".

"And how do you know that's a mistake?" asked Hikozaru.

"Because I thought exactly how you think right now" said Lizardon, as it began to tell Hikozaru how it all began…

Lizardon, then a Hitokage, had just helped Satoshi catch Okorizaru. Satoshi was calling Dr. Okido at the Pokémon Center to tell him of the capture with Takeshi, Kasumi ("Odd, I always thought that she and Satoshi would be together forever" said Lizardon, prompting Hikozaru, already anxious to leave the cliff, to remind Lizardon to continue with the story), Fushigidane, Zenigame, Pigeon, itself, and Pikachu. Satoshi could barely contain himself.

"It was so cool. Hitokage just unleashed all its power on that Okorizaru, it was great" said an enthusiastic Satoshi. Hitokage was feeling pretty big at this point and felt invincible.

"So, that makes seven catches for you versus thirty for Shigeru" said Kasumi, looking for a response from Satoshi.

"Oh yeah?" said an angry Satoshi. "Well I think Okorizaru is easier to look at than you".

_Why must Satoshi insist on getting his butt kicked_? Thought Hitokage as it and Satoshi's other Pokémon ran away from what they knew was going to be unspeakable carnage. _Kasumi can be very sensitive sometimes_ thought Hitokage as it and its friends came to a spot where they thought they would be safe. When they caught their breath, they could hear Kasumi giving Satoshi a beating that probably rivaled Hitokage's defeat of Okorizaru. Fushigidane was the first to say something.

"Shouldn't we have waited for Takeshi?" asked Fushigidane.

"If he wanted to run, he would have. Someone has to make sure those two don't kill each other" said Zenigame, panting.

The others agreed and decided to wait until Satoshi (or the other two, if something…permanent were to happen to Satoshi) came for them. As they waited, they began to talk about how Satoshi did with his most recent capture, with praise for his tenacity and knowing what moves would be best to take Okorizaru, with a few sniggers at Satoshi being such a baby over the hat ("How can losing a hat be like losing a friend? Hats are just…a thing" said Pikachu. "Well, his hat has never attacked him like Kasumi" said Zenigame).

"Just how great is Satoshi?" said an angry voice.

The other Pokémon were so shocked, they almost fell in their speed to turn in the direction of the voice and saw that Hitokage, looking angry and upset, was the owner of the angry voice.

"What did you say?" asked Pikachu, the first to regain its senses from Hitokage's words.

"I said, what's so great about Satoshi?" Hitokage asked again. "We're more powerful than him. We don't need him. He's only a big stupid…"

What Satoshi was, the others didn't know, thanks to Fushigidane's Vine Whip across Hitokage's face. When Hitokage recovered, it was looking into the faces of four shocked and upset Pokémon.

"WHERE DID YOU GET OFF TALKING ABOUT SATOSHI LIKE THAT?" demanded Pikachu. It's cheeks were sparking badly, making Hitokage worry that it's going to be the recipient of one of Pikachu's famous Electric Shock ("Okay, you definitely know what I'm going through" said Hikozaru, remembering its own close call the previous night). Thankfully, Fushigidane calmed Pikachu down. However, it, along with the other Pokémon, was still waiting for Hitokage's answer.

Hitokage calmed down and began to look sad.

"I'm sorry" explained Hitokage. "I was feeling left out. I mean, Satoshi was getting all the praise, I was feeling a little left out".

The others, realizing their mistake, immediately went to comfort Hitokage, giving it the praise for actually going against Okorizaru and reminding it that Satoshi was happy about what Hitokage did. However, they didn't know that it was a lie. Hitokage still felt Satoshi was nothing compared to it or the other Pokémon.

_How can the others be blind to their potential, all for Satoshi_ thought Hitokage. It pitied the others for blindly following Satoshi.

All that mattered was that the others didn't realize its deception. But, as Hitokage looked all around, it saw that one Pokémon wasn't fooled…Pikachu.

As they walked back to the Pokémon Center, Hitokage and Pikachu kept shooting looks at each other. It was clear that Pikachu didn't trust Hitokage the same way id did before today. Hitokage didn't care. It was tired of listening to humans. It carried this feeling even after Satoshi had congratulated it on the battle with Okorizaru, although Satoshi was none the wiser about its attitude.

_Soon, when I become stronger, I can finally show how much better I am than Satoshi_ thought Hitokage as it was recalled to its Monster Ball.

Lizardon, in the present, sighed and looked remorseful at the thought of its first thoughts of betrayal. Hikozaru went forward and gently touch Lizardon's leg to comfort him. Lizardon regained its composure and looked to Hikozaru again.

"And that was how it all began, Hikozaru" said Lizardon. "I was starting to feel like I was the reason Satoshi was so successful and that he was just getting the benefits from my strength".

"And what about the others trying to calm you down?" asked Hikozaru. "What were they doing to help you to listen to Satoshi?"

"I'm getting to it. Trust me, they did all they could to switch my loyalty back to Satoshi".

As Lizardon continued, Hikozaru began to soften to what Lizardon was trying to say. It began to doubt its belief that Satoshi was nothing. It began to consider that maybe, just maybe at this point (only considering the possibility at the moment), it had made a mistake while Lizardon began to tell it about one time during Satoshi's trip around the Orange Archipelago.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Late at night, while the group was resting on an island in the Orange Archipelago, Lizardon got a surprise, yet small, Electric Shock. It woke with a start and saw that Pikachu was the one that gave it the waking jolt. It wasn't alone: Togepy ("It probably didn't understand what was going on, probably just followed Pikachu, like how it always did" Lizardon pointed out at this moment), Fushigidane, Zenigame, Hitodeman, Koduck, Kongpang, Maril, and Strike were with it. Lizardon had a bad feeling about this.

"Lizardon, we want to talk to you" said Pikachu.

_Whoever said trust your instincts was right_ thought an already irritated Lizardon.

"Guys, I really don't want to talk right now. I just want to sleep" said Lizardon, as calmly and kindly as it could, which was quite difficult at this moment right now.

"Shove it" said Zenigame defiantly. "Most of us are going into our Monster Balls in the morning, including you, so don't give us that sob story".

_Great_, thought Lizardon. That was its only card it could play, and Zenigame called it. Frustrated, Lizardon got up and faced the other Pokémon.

"What do you want?" asked Lizardon.

"We just wanted to talk to you about Satoshi" said Pikachu in an easy manner, which belied its anxiousness.

Lizardon was so close to spewing flames at the Pokémon that it was almost sure a few flames escaped its mouth.

"You should know better than to wake me up, Pikachu" grumbled Lizardon. "And this is probably the worst reason for waking me".

"I know Lizardon, but this is important" said Pikachu. "We just want to find out what your problem is with Satoshi. He didn't do anything to you".

"Yet" muttered Lizardon.

"What did you say?" asked Pikachu.

"I say _**yet**_" Lizardon said, so forcefully enough that there was no mistake as to what it said.

"And what do you mean by that?" asked Pikachu, losing a little of its calm. The others were also grumbling a little at Lizardon's remark, except Togepy, who was just now suspecting that something was wrong.

"I mean trainers only care about strength" Lizardon said. "Once you've passed your usefulness, you're forgotten".

"Don't you dare talk about Satoshi like that" said an angry Fushigidane. The others were beginning to get impatient and angry.

"Oh, are you afraid that I'm right?" taunted Lizardon to Fushigidane. "Too scared of the thought of being without your Satoshi-yoshi?"

As suicidal as it was calling Kasumi ugly, it was nothing next to calling Fushigidane a coward. It was only Kongpang, Maril, Hitodeman, and Koduck that prevented a fight from occurring. However, it was only to protect Fushigidane; it was a grass type and, therefore, would get hurt fighting Lizardon. If they thought Fushigidane could defeat Lizardon, they would have let it fight. They were all angry at Lizardon. Zenigame was the only one with a shred of calm left in it and used it to try and appeal to Lizardon one last time.

"Lizardon, I've been abandoned by a trainer" Zenigame said. "I know what they're like, and Satoshi isn't like that. You should know that".

"Ah, Zenigame" said Lizardon. "Poor sweet _**naïve**_ Zenigame. Why don't you try talking when you've grown up some" finished Lizardon angrily.

The others were shocked at Lizardon's words to Zenigame. Zenigame itself was hurt and angry at Lizardon, more so because it had been best friends with it when it was a Hitokage. It slowly turned.

"Sorry Pikachu, I'm out of here" Zenigame said bitterly.

Most of the others went back to the trainers as well, angry at Lizardon. Soon it was only Lizardon, Pikachu, Strike, and Togepy.

"Lizardon" Strike finally said. "Satoshi cares about you. He feels that he failed you by you disobeying him. Now does that sound like a trainer who doesn't care about his Pokémon?"

Lizardon didn't answer. It just turned its back on them and lied back down.

Pikachu was so incest that its cheeks were sparking. Togepy ran to hide. It never did like it when Pikachu was angry. Strike, however, stopped Pikachu from attacking.

"Come on Pikachu, let's go back" said Strike.

"But what about Lizardon?" Pikachu asked anxiously.

"It can only learn for itself what we're trying to tell him" Strike said sadly.

Pikachu looked back and, with tears welling in its eyes for failing to convince Lizardon, ran away to be with Satoshi. Strike looked back, turned and, with a sigh of disappointment, left as well.

_Finally, they're gone_ thought Lizardon. However, it began to think that it was too mean to its friends. _It wasn't their faults humans were what they were_ thought Lizardon. _They're just being misguided by Satoshi_. It felt bad for being curt with them. It was so deep in thought that it almost didn't noticed this sound:

"Pikachu? Pikachu?"

Lizardon turned and saw that, in its hurt, Pikachu forgot Togepy. It was looking around until it saw Lizardon. When it did, it plopped down, relieved.

_Crap_ thought Lizardon. _I don't want to be a babysitter_. Unfortunately for Lizardon, Togepy wanted to talk.

"Why don't you like Satoshi?" asked the little egg Pokémon innocently.

"Because" replied Lizardon.

"Why"

"Because"

"Why"

"Because" Lizardon almost shouted, but it controlled itself. Togepy was only a baby; it didn't know what it was doing. Plus, if Lizardon were to make Togepy cry, Kasumi and Pikachu would've kill it, brutally. ("Satoshi wouldn't have needed to worry about me anymore" Lizardon sniggered at this point.)

"Hm" Togepy said after thinking a bit. "Satoshi always seemed nice to me. What mean things does he do?"

"Um…well…I don't really know" answered an embarrassed Lizardon.

"Then why don't you like Satoshi" asked Togepy.

Just at that moment, Pikachu, realizing its mistake, came back and took Togepy away, while shooting daggers at Lizardon. Lizardon was thankful. _Togepy can be annoying sometimes_ it thought. However, Lizardon was left pondering what it said. _What has Satoshi done that I don't like him for_? Lizardon thought.

_Maybe Togepy knew more than it let on_ thought Lizardon thought as it went back to sleep.

"Was that when you threw away your principles for Satoshi" Hikozaru asked.

Lizardon would have been disheartened by Hikozaru's statement, but the fact that Hikozaru sounded more curious than accusatory, like it was starting to think it had been wrong about Satoshi, made Lizardon believe that it hadn't failed…at least not yet.

"No, I still gave Satoshi a Blaze Emission when he returned me to my Monster Ball the following day" Lizardon answered. "He got me into the Monster Ball but from what Pikachu told me at a later time, it, Kenji, Kasumi, Togepy, and Laplace spent all day trying to cheer him up.

"Then, when…" began Hikozaru.

"I'm getting there, hold on" Lizardon said. "I realized my mistake thanks to a Freezing Beam from a Nyorobon"

"But I thought fire Pokémon were strong against ice moves" Hikozaru said.

"I thought so to but, apparently, no one told that Nyorobon" Lizardon said.

It went on to tell Hikozaru about the battle, how it kept using fire attacks despite the fact that they weren't working and despite Satoshi telling it to use different attacks and Pikachu warning how powerful Nyorobon was. It explained how a Water Gun from Nyorobon hit its tail and weakened it, probably enough to for the Freezing Beam to turn it into a block of ice.

"I was on Death's door by the time the battle was over" said Lizardon. "I was only saved by Satoshi. He tried to warm me up as best as he could all through the night. As he was doing that, I tried to figure out why he was going to all the trouble if he knew there was a chance I would just attack him again. I realized then that Pikachu was right, as much as it made me sick to think that. I realized Satoshi did care about me, like he did for all his Pokémon. I felt like the biggest idiot for not seeing that earlier".

As Lizardon was explaining its revelation, Hikozaru saw that Lizardon was tearing up at the memory. Lizardon saw this and quickly wept its tears. It continued its story.

"I began to remember all the good times I had with Satoshi, all that he did for me, especially when we first met" said Lizardon.

"What did he do?" asked Hikozaru.

"Pikachu didn't tell you a lot, did it?" Lizardon asked.

"I was being too pig-headed" said Hikozaru regretfully. "It probably told Pochama".

Lizardon told Hikozaru about how it and Satoshi first met, how Satoshi saved a weak Hitokage during a brutal storm because its original trainer, Daisuke, had abandoned it under the pretense of planning on returning later for it. When it went back to the rock, it saved Pikachu from Rocket Dan, and then saw how Daisuke didn't care for it. When it saw how Satoshi, Kasumi, and Takeshi cared about it, it left Daisuke and gave it a good-bye present…the smirk on Lizardon's face told Hikozaru just what that present was.

Lizardon sighed, and then turn again to Hikozaru.

"Well, I'm tired of doing all the talking. You tell me something now about you" Lizardon declared.

Hikozaru was surprised. After all that Lizardon has been through, what would Lizardon want to know about itself?

"Tell me about Shinji" Lizardon said.

Hikozaru was surprised by Lizardon's request, but decided to comply. As it told Lizardon about Shinji, the feelings it had always associated with Shinji came up again: fear, anger, sadness, and pain. It started crying. Lizardon put a hand on its shoulder to try to comfort it.

"Now what would a Pokémon say if Shinji or Daisuke were the only humans they knew?" asked Lizardon.

"They would think humans were weak and only used Pokémon for their strength" answered Hikozaru. Hikozaru then saw what Lizardon was trying to tell it.

"But…" Hikozaru started"

"Daisuke hurt me" said Lizardon. "His abandoning me hurt me. I thought I was over him, but I realized that I was still holding the hurt and I was so convinced Satoshi would do the same to me. It was only after I let him go that I was able to finally accept Satoshi for who he was. I learned from Satoshi that not all humans were evil".

Lizardon breathed, trying to decide how it wanted to tell Hikozaru what it knew it had to tell.

"Hikozaru, I can't tell you how to feel. Every Pokémon is different. All I can say is to forget the hurt, because Satoshi would never hurt you on purpose"

Hikozaru stopped crying, but it was left considering Lizardon's words. It was silent for a few hours. Lizardon didn't mind: it felt that it was its duty to help Satoshi. _I'm not going to let Satoshi go through that again _Lizardon thought. It was dozing off when Hikozaru talked again, with tears in its eyes

"I can't" Hikozaru said. "I just can't. I can't trust Satoshi. I don't think I can ever trust a human again".

Lizardon was crestfallen. It had failed Satoshi. It wished it could hug Satoshi, to let him know he tried to help him, how it regretted hurting Satoshi. Hikozaru was thinking of running away, of just leaving all humans, _since I can't even trust a human who did so much for me_ Hikozaru thought. They were very deep in thought, but not deep enough for them to not notice a big explosion.

They were both surprised. Hikozaru looked at Lizardon and could tell from the look on its face told Hikozaru the awful truth: that explosion was really close, maybe even at, Satoshi-tachi's camp.

Hikozaru jumped on Lizardon's back and they flew back to the camp. When they got there, they saw a big tank connected to cages containing the Lizardon from the Lizafic Valley, and…Pikachu! Satoshi, Jiku, and the others were also in cages. Their Monster Balls were in clear glass boxes connected to the tank. It was around then that Lizardon noticed a big red R on the tank.

_Oh don't tell me Satoshi-tachi didn't get rid of these losers_ thought Lizardon. Suddenly, the hatch opened up and two humans and a cat-like Pokémon come out of it. They didn't see Lizardon or Hikozaru.

_Great_. Lizardon was about to be sick. It had hoped to never see these inept losers who couldn't even catch a cold.

Lizardon was going to go face to face again with the Rocket-Dan again.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"If you ask us something or other..." said Musashi.

"The answer we give will be the compassion of the world!" said Kojirō.

"To prevent the destruction of the world!" said Musashi.

"To protect the peace of the world!" said Kojirō.

"To carry out the evils of truth and love!" said Musashi.

"The lovely, charming villains!" said Kojirō.

"Musashi!"

"Kojirō!"

"The pair from Team Rocket soars through the galaxy!" said Musashi.

"A white hole, a white tomorrow awaits us!" said Kojirō.

"Something like that!" said Nyarth.

"Sonansu" said a blue Pokémon.

"Manene" said a little pink Pokémon floating by Kojirō.

"Rocket-Dan, let us go" yelled Satoshi.

The Rocket-Dan laughed

"We'll let you go" said Musashi. "As soon as we leave with your Pokémon".

They all laughed, happy that their plan is working, until they heard a roar and an angry squeak. They turned and saw Hikozaru…up in the air with them. They were surprised, as they knew Hikozaru don't fly, until they saw that Hikozaru was flying on a…Lizardon. Nyarth looked in stunned terror.

"Guys, that Lizardon may be our old enemy, nya" said a terrified Nyarth.

Musashi and Kojirō looked like they were about to be sick. If that Lizardon was the one they thought it was, then it wouldn't be happy about them capturing Satoshi-tachi and the Pokémon.

A Blaze Emission directed to them confirmed their fears: this Lizardon was Satoshi's old Lizardon, and they were going to have to capture it without the element of surprise that helped them capture the other Lizardon and Satoshi-tachi's Pokémon.

"I swear, Satoshi-tachi have always been too tolerant of these morons" said Lizardon.

"I know. Just once I want to go full force on them" Hikozaru said.

Hikozaru enjoyed seeing Lizardon in action and was anxious to see some more action from Lizardon again. Judging from Rocket-Dan's actions, Hikozaru was going to get its wish.

"Habunake, use Excessive Poison Fang" yelled Musashi as she threw a Monster Ball.

"Muskippa, use Seed Machine Gun" yelled Kojirō as he also threw a Monster Ball.

_Aw, they got rid of Arbok and Matadogas_ thought Lizardon. It always liked those two. _They weren't bad, just loyal to the wrong trainers_ it thought. However, now was a bad time to get sentimental as Habunake and Muskippa were now out and about to attack.

"Hikozaru, get the ugly green flower and I'll get the ugly blue snake" Lizardon said.

Lizardon flew down to the Rocket-Dan Pokémon and both it and Hikozaru gave out Blaze Emissions. Like the Lucario Hikozaru fought recently, they went down…hard.

_That Lucario from two days ago was tougher than those two_ Hikozaru thought smugly.

Musashi and Kojirō were beside themselves in shock. They were even madder when Lizardon swept the cages, breaking them and, thus, setting Jiku, Satoshi-tachi, and the Lizardon free. They then noticed Hikozaru wasn't on Lizardon's back and turned to see that Hikozaru had not only broken the clear box holding the Monster Balls, it had released some of the Pokémon from the balls. Experience has taught them that this will not end well.

"Hikozaru, Lizardon, Swirl of Fire" said Satoshi. "Pikachu, Electric Shock"

"Lizardon, Lisa, Swirl of Fire" said Jiku.

"Mimirol, Freezing Beam" shouted Hikari. "Pochama, Bubblebeam".

"Gureggru, Poison Jab" shouted Takeshi.

All the Pokémon complied, aimed for the tank, and, in a big explosion, Rocket-Dan was gone.

"This doesn't feel good" shouted the villains, as they soared away, until all that the heroes could see was a shining star, which disappeared just as quickly as it came.

Everyone was celebrating the victory. Hikozaru in particular was jumping up and down when Lizardon grabbed it and took it to a small ledge.

"Not bad, Hikozaru. You're a tough one" Lizardon said.

Hikozaru, filled with joy that Lizardon thought it was a good fighter, jumped extra high in joy.

"Mimirol, that was an excellent Freezing beam" Hikari said.

Mimirol felt special being given the complement, and nearly swooned when Pikachu also praised its Freezing Beam.

"Can you do it again please?" Hikari asked "I just want to see it again".

Mimirol wanted to complied, but it had a little trouble finding a good spot to shoot with all the Lizardon around. It finally found a good spot, just above Hikozaru, and shot another Freezing Beam.

Now these two events shouldn't have anything to do with each other, but Mimirol shot its Freezing Beam just as Hikozaru had jumped up in joy, something Mimirol didn't consider when it shot the Freezing Beam. What came down was a block of ice that contained a little monkey Pokémon. Everyone's hearts skipped a beat when they realized what had happened.

"HIKOZARU" everyone yelled in disbelief.

_What have I done?_ Mimirol thought as it tried (miserably) not to cry.

In its ice prison, Hikozaru finally realized why the attack was called Freezing Beam.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

That night, Satoshi, Takeshi, and Jiku were working hard to warm Hikozaru up. All the Lizardon stood with their backs to the humans so that their tail flames could warm the poor monkey Pokémon. Takeshi used one of the tails and Pochama to make warm water for Satoshi to rub on Hikozaru. Jiku taught Satoshi how to rub Hikozaru to most effectively warm it up ("Let's just say I'm somewhat of an expert in this area" Jiku said, while many of the Lizardon, including Lisa, nodded in agreement with their own memories of being popsicles). Hikari and Pikachu were not helping the others, as there was noting they could do (Hikozaru wasn't big like a Lizardon) and Mimirol, guilt-ridden over what happened, needed cheering up. Pikachu even let Mimirol hug it, wishing Mimirol wasn't in love with it. Pikachu was so caught up in both the Rocket-Dan battle and the accident that Pikachu never asked how Lizardon's talk with Hikozaru went. Pochama thought to ask, but it looked at Lizardon, saw how upset it was and worried it was for Hikozaru, and decided now was a bad time to be bothering it and filled another bucket with water for Takeshi to warm.

Hikozaru, free from the ice but still shivering uncontrollably, looked up at Satoshi and saw a worried face, a face that seemed to be crying. Almost without thinking, Hikozaru reached up and wiped a tear from Satoshi's eye. Satoshi saw this and began to rub more earnestly, filled with new hope that Hikozaru will be fine. The others saw this too, including Mimirol, who was starting to feel a little better now and helped Satoshi. As Satoshi and Mimirol continued to rub, Hikozaru began to remember its adventures with Satoshi. It remembered Satoshi taking it in so soon after Shinji gave up on it, all the battles they fought in, and how he was the first human to show it any real kindness.

_I made a horrible mistake_ Hikozaru thought.

Hikozaru didn't know when it fell asleep. It woke up feeling better and looked around. Everyone else was sleeping. Satoshi was hugging it, as if he fell asleep keeping Hikozaru warm. Mimirol was sleeping on Satoshi's leg. Takeshi, Jiku, Gureggru (_Takeshi must've tried to woo Jiku again_ Hikozaru thought) and Pochama were nearby, with the Lizardon, Hikari, and Pikachu just a little farther away.

Hikozaru got out of Satoshi's arms and walked to a ridge. It sat and looked out, thinking. It then heard a noise. It turned to see Lizardon was coming up behind. It sat next to Hikozaru. After a little bit of time, Hikozaru spoke.

"Satoshi saved my life" said Hikozaru.

"Yes, yes he did" Lizardon said.

"Even after what I did to him" Hikozaru said, fighting back tears.

"Yeah, he's funny like that" said Lizardon with a smile. "He loves you, even if you roast him a little bit. That's what I was trying to tell you: Satoshi is a good human. He cares for all his friends and Pokémon, even those that hurt him".

At this, Hikozaru started to cry softly. Lizardon pat its shoulder and rubbed its back. It didn't last long, as they soon heard two little screams. Acting almost on instinct, Hikozaru jumped on Lizardon's back and they flew to the noise. They stopped on a cliff and looked down. What they saw nearly sickened them.

A trainer was kicking his Hinoarashi and Achamo while yelling at them.

"You two are the most worthless excuses of Pokémon I have ever seen" the trainer yelled.

Hikozaru was aghast.

_Shinji was never this bad_ Hikozaru thought. It looked to Lizardon and saw it shaking with anger with tears in its eyes. Hikozaru was wondering why Lizardon was so upset, then realized that Daisuke must've been this bad.

"This guy must remind you a lot of Daisuke, to make you act like this" Hikozaru said in as comforting voice it could.

Lizardon turned to Hikozaru.

"He should. That ***** is Daisuke" Lizardon said.

Hikozaru nearly fell in disbelief. It looked at the trainer and saw that, going on Lizardon's description, he did look like Daisuke. Hikozaru was soon filled with rage, hearing all about Daisuke from Lizardon. Lizardon was so close to losing it, Hikozaru realized, and asked it a question.

"If that's Daisuke, why are we not giving him a present?" Hikozaru asked with a bit of evil glee.

It took a while for Lizardon to realize what Hikozaru meant. When it did, it couldn't help but smile.

"Come on and attack, you worthless pieces of filth" Daisuke yelled.

Hinoarashi and Achamo complied, but they were so tired that their effort was half-hearted at best.

_Man, these two weaklings are pathetic_ Daisuke thought. He was about to kick again when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Daisuke didn't like this; he hated trainers telling how he should or shouldn't treat his Pokémon. He turned.

"Listen, get out of here or I'll…" Daisuke started.

What Daisuke was going to do, Lizardon, Hikozaru, Hinoarashi, and Achamo would never know, as it is very hard to talk when one is getting burned to a crisp. When the smoke cleared, Daisuke finally saw what burned him: Lizardon and Hikozaru. Lizardon walked to Hinoarashi and Achamo and picked them up. It then looked evilly at Daisuke.

"Release them" Lizardon said. It and Hikozaru readied themselves for another Blaze Emission.

They didn't have to. Daisuke, despite not speaking or understanding Pokémon, had a good idea what they wanted him to do. He took out the two Monster Balls and pressed the buttons that Hikozaru knew released Hinoarashi and Achamo. Daisuke then ran for his life.

"Stupid Lizardon" Daisuke shouted.

It would be a few days until Daisuke realized that Lizardon may have been the Hitokage that he lost to Satoshi. He, however, dismissed it.

_That punk is too soft, there's no way he could've evolved that puny Hitokage_ Daisuke thought. _Plus, what are the odds that I would see that Hitokage again._

What are the odds indeed? :)

Meanwhile, back at Fire Mountain, just after Hikozaru and Lizardon sent Daisuke running, Lizardon set Hinoarashi and Achamo down.

"You're freed. You don't have to deal with that guy ever again" Lizardon said.

Hinoarashi and Achamo were overcome with joy. They took turns hugging Lizardon and Hikozaru. Lizardon took it in stride. Hikozaru, however, being about the same size as the other two, was nearly suffocated.

_Now I know why Pikachu hates Mimirol's hugs _ Hikozaru thought.

Hinoarashi and Achamo thanked Lizardon and Hikozaru and started to run towards the mountain when Hikozaru told them to stop. It ran to them.

"Guys, not all humans are like that guy" said Hikozaru. "If you meet up with another human, give him or her a chance to prove themselves".

Hinoarashi and Achamo looked at each other then looked back at the smaller of their rescuers.

"Are you kidding" asked Hinoarashi. "How can there be a good human?"

"Well, you won't find one if keep holding onto the hurt" Hikozaru said.

The two fire Pokémon didn't know what to say to Hikozaru's words. The two Pokémon ran away, thanking Hikozaru and Lizardon again. As they left, Lizardon joined Hikozaru's side.

"And I thought you couldn't trust humans" Lizardon said with a friendly smirk.

"You know Lizardon, an abused Pokémon has to learn to let go of its hurt in order to move on" said Hikozaru. "There are good humans". Hikozaru paused, and then said. "And Satoshi is one of them".

Lizardon was happy beyond belief. _I guess I didn't fail after all_ Lizardon thought.

Just then, Satoshi and Pikachu came running that way, looking for Hikozaru and the source of the screams. When Hikozaru saw them, it was filled with warm happy feelings.

"Hey, did you two…" Satoshi began to ask.

He couldn't finish, because Hikozaru jumped up and hugged him.

"I'm sorry for doubting you, Satoshi" Hikozaru said.

Satoshi didn't understand what Hikozaru said, but he felt a change had taken place in Hikozaru. He hugged Hikozaru back, crying with joy now that he got his friend back.

As Hikozaru and Satoshi hugged, Pikachu, who understood Hikozaru very well, looked to Lizardon, beaming with Lizardon's success.

"Thank you Lizardon" Pikachu gratefully said.

"Anything for my friends" said Lizardon.

With that, Pikachu and Lizardon joined in on Satoshi's and Hikozaru's hug.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"It was good seeing you again Lizardon" Satoshi said.

It was time for everyone to head home, or to the next city. Satoshi, Hikari, Takeshi, Pochama, Pikachu, and Gureggru (yeah, like Takeshi wasn't going to try and woo Jiku one last time) said goodbye to Jiku, Lisa, Lizardon and the other Lizardon. Just as they were about to leave, Hikozaru left its Monster Ball. It ran to Lizardon. Satoshi almost recalled it, but reconsidered.

"Do you guys have a feeling something happened that we don't know about?" Satoshi asked the others.

"Well, Hikozaru was with Lizardon when we were captured by Rocket-Dan" Hikari pointed out.

Satoshi decided not to worry about it. It's not like anything bad happened. Plus, he couldn't shake the feeling that Lizardon may have had something to do with Hikozaru's attitude adjustment.

"Thanks again for your help, Lizardon" Hikozaru said when it finally found the Lizardon that it had spent so much time with.

"No, thank you" Lizardon said to its new friend. "You helped me make amends for what I did to Satoshi. I can now live with myself better thanks to you."

Hikozaru and Lizardon hugged each other with appreciation.

"So, I guess you're going back to the Lizafic Valley?' Hikozaru asked.

"Not right away" answered Lizardon. "I want to visit Zenigame. Talking to you has made me want to see it again. It's been too long".

"I wish you would come with us" Hikozaru said sadly.

"Hey, if there's one thing I know, goodbyes are never permanent" Lizardon said. "We'll meet again someday".

And with that, Jiku and the Lizardon flew away. Satoshi-tachi waved goodbye. Hikozaru waved too, and heard one last bit of advice from its new friend.

"Give Pikachu a little Blaze Emission now and again. It could use a little pushing around".

Hikozaru looked at Pikachu and their eyes met.

_I didn't shock Lizardon enough_ Pikachu thought.

Hikozaru just grinned.

_I'm going to miss Lizardon_ Hikozaru thought.

Some time later, Satoshi was in another battle with a trainer, having defeated his Utsubot and Achamo, but also losing Buoysel and Mukubird in the process.

"Hikozaru" yelled Satoshi as he threw Hikozaru's Monster Ball.

"Hinoarashi" yelled the other trainer.

The two came out. Hikozaru saw that this was the same Hinoarashi that it and Lizardon saved. After the battle, Hinoarashi told Hikozaru that Achamo was still with it and that they were grateful for Hikozaru's advice to give humans another chance. They love their new trainer, although they admit they're not sure if he'll stay that way.

"Let go of the hurt your previous trainer gave you. It's the only way you can move on from what he's done" Hikozaru said.

"How do you know so much about abusive trainers?" asked Achamo, who came over when it realized who Hikozaru was.

"Because I thought all humans were evil thanks to a mean trainer" Hikozaru answered. "It was only thanks to the help of a friend that showed me how not all humans were mean".

Hikozaru, Hinoarashi, and Achamo continued to talk until their trainers parted ways and they left with their respective trainers. Hikozaru was polite to Hinoarashi, despite how the battle went which, as Hikozaru not so subtly puts it, went like this:

_Oww_.

The End


End file.
